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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25468660">Just a gesture, really</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nano_morphus/pseuds/nano_morphus'>nano_morphus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood &amp; Manga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Al's POV, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Arranged Marriage, Fuhrer Roy Mustang, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Xingese Ed and Al, but not really in the way you would think</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:15:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,887</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25468660</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nano_morphus/pseuds/nano_morphus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’ll make this short, since we have travelled far and are tired. We have come to negotiate for trade between Amestris and Xing.” There was chatter between the Amestrian officials at the potential of opening trade between the two countries. </p><p>“And,” Hohenheim continued, “To show our sincerity, I would like to betroth Edward, my first born, to the Fuhrer of Amestris."</p><p> </p><p>Or, alternatively, Ed wants to get married, Roy doesn't really want to decline, and Al is just a little scared of his brother leaving.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alphonse Elric &amp; Roy Mustang, Edward Elric/Roy Mustang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>166</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>RoyEd OTPoly 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Just a gesture, really</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Woohoo second work for the RoyEd OtPoly!! </p><p>I honestly felt conflicted about making the Elrics, a family with European features, into the rulers of Xing, which is (from what I understand) based off of China, but I also really love AUs where Ed and Al are culturally Xingese, so well, I decided to go ahead with the AU. </p><p>Some background plot changes that will help the fic make more sense:<br/>1)	The ruling family is of the Elrics, who are a family said to have God’s blood in them (hence blonde hair and golden eyes in an Asian country)<br/>2)	Ling and Mei had come to the country during the main plot of the story, but instead of trying to achieve immortality they were trying to eliminate the Homunculi to help their families achieve recognition in their country<br/>3)	Hohenheim is not immortal, and the Dwarf in the Flask did not strike a deal with him, but instead with one of his ancestors. That’s why the Amestrians are not completely on alert from Hohenheim’s appearance<br/>4)	The assumption is that Ed is of age. I’d say he’s around eighteen or nineteen.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first time that Al meets Roy Mustang, the current Fuhrer of Amestris, he’s a little bit surprised. A dark haired man with dark eyes, Mustang almost looks Xingese. Half, maybe? Al thinks to himself. Whatever he expected when he was told by his father to join him in meeting the youngest Fuhrer in Amestrian history, he did not expect to find a man that looked more Xingese than himself to be in that position of responsibility. As they enter the conference room, guarded by unfamiliar soldiers with foreign officials seated at the tables, Al thinks that he’s never been this far from home. </p><p>“We would like to welcome the honorable current king of Xing, Hohenheim, and the two princes of Xing, Edward, and Alphonse. All bow before the Sons of Heaven.” Ling Yao, who has accompanied Al and the others due to his recent activity in Amestris, announces in clear English. </p><p>Al is surprised to see the Amestrians perform some degree of an acceptable bow, expecting for them to refuse to comply. It isn’t easy to bow to the royalty of a neighboring nation when you have no idea what they’re here for. </p><p>“You may rise.” Hohenheim says, and Ling interprets for the him. The Xingese royalty sit themselves at the conference table, ready to begin negotiations. Some of the officials at the table keep taking glances at the three of them, and Al doesn’t blame them – the gold hair and eyes that the Xingese royalty possess are utterly out of place in a demographic of people with dark brown features. But it’s a mark of the blessings of God, the mark that they are of royal blood. Al sort of wishes that they would stop gawking. </p><p>“I’ll make this short, since we have travelled far and are tired. We have come to negotiate for trade between our two countries, now that the shadows have been eradicated from your country.” 影子, the Homunculi, as Al understood they were called in Amestrian. There was chatter between the Amestrian officials at the never seen before potential of opening trade between Amestris and Xing. “And,” Hohenheim continued, “To show our sincerity, I would like to betroth Edward, my first born, to the Fuhrer of Amestris. Now that I have said what I came here for, we will excuse ourselves.” </p><p>As the doors closed, Al could hear voices erupt in the conference room from the proposal. He can already picture the chaos that will ensue.  </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The first time Al hears Roy Mustang speak, it’s while eavesdropping. Hohenheim had excused Ed and Al from conferences but requested that they went to the banquet being held later that night. After an hour of tiring political conversations with an onslaught of Amestrians that he can’t possibly remember the names of, Al scutters to the open balcony, hoping to get some peace and quiet, only to find Mustang there, conversing with his older brother. Ed and Al had both mastered English at a young age, so Al wasn’t surprised to hear fluent English flow out of his brother’s mouth.</p><p>Al doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, but well, he kind of wants to. So he does. </p><p>“You don’t have to go through with it, you know.” His brother’s voice was uncharacteristically hesitant, unsure. “It’s really just a gesture.” </p><p>“It’s just a gesture to betroth Xing’s oldest and next in line for the throne to me?” Mustang, while still maintaining a semblance of decorum, sounds incredulous, and the silence that follows is awkward and heavy. </p><p>“I was the one who volunteered.” Ed sighs, and Al can imagine his brother pulling his hand through his hair with a tense look in his eyes. “It’s true that age wise, I am next in line for the throne, but I’m not the one who’s most suited for it.” </p><p>Al is surprised to hear his brother’s admission. While he’d always suspected that the reason why his brother volunteered had to do with his will to not succeed the throne, he didn’t expect for his apparent incompetence to be the ultimate reason behind it.  </p><p>“I’m hotheaded and too driven by emotions. Al would make a better ruler.” Ed’s voice is tinged with vulnerability. “This is the perfect way to avoid the need to make an unsavory announcement.”</p><p>Al takes his leave then, knowing that he’s already heard too much. He reenters the banquet with too much on his mind and a heavy heart. Later, Al watches his brother and the Fuhrer reenter the banquet from his peripheral vision, sees them walking side-by-side, Ed’s head tilted upwards in the telltale sign of a laugh. Whatever they talked about after Al left must have dispersed the tension in the air from before. Distantly, Al thinks that he’s lost something that he can’t regain.</p><p>(That night, Al lays in his bed in their hotel room and listens to his brother’s breathing. He’s staring at the ceiling, thoughts travelling a mile a second. They forgot to close the window, and a gentle breeze wafts into the room, accompanied by the cold light of the full moon. Al turns his head slightly to look at his brother, who’s lying with his back facing Al. Illuminated by the moon, his long hair, still in a loose braid, looks as if it were glowing, and his silhouette looks abnormally large, even at this distance. Al, for the first time in his seventeen years of life, is afraid to reach out to his brother, afraid that the scene in front of him will shatter.</p><p>He doesn’t sleep well that night. His dreams are plagued with a feeling of anxiety as he runs in a dark tunnel, endlessly chasing something, though he’s not sure what.) </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The first time Al talks to Roy Mustang, it’s a couple of days after the banquet. Ed had been hanging around Mustang’s office at an alarmingly frequent rate – the Fuhrer’s office seemed to be loud most days anyways, but with the addition of Ed’s presence, boisterous laughter can be heard from the conference room down the hall. The few times that Al was enlisted with the responsibility to go fetch his brother, he saw his brother lounging casually on the sofa, making jabs at Mustang and his subordinates in the office. On one occasion, Al catches Risa Hawkeye, whom he recognizes from a conference or other, smiling discretely at the banter, a foreign feature on her usually stoic face. Two days ago, Ed had even stopped joining Al for dinner, choosing to instead spend that time with Mustang. When he comes back to the hotel room after dinner, Ed looks more light and unburdened than he has looked in a couple of years.</p><p>Ed looks like he belongs amongst Mustang’s crew. And Al sort of hates it. </p><p>Al’s walking down the corridor, running an errand for his father, when he bumps into Mustang. He quickly apologizes, giving the Fuhrer a slight Xingese bow, before attempting to leave. Whenever Al bumps into the Fuhrer – which is not very often, to be honest – he tries to leave as quickly as possible. Seeing Roy Mustang always leaves Al with a bitter taste in his mouth.</p><p>(Al isn’t stupid. He knows what jealousy feels like. Doesn’t mean he wants to confront it, though.)</p><p>This time, however, Mustang grabs onto Al’s shoulder, the gesture light, but firm at the same time. He looks Al in the eye. </p><p>“Please wait, Alphonse.” Mustang’s voice is a little hesitant, but Al can hear his determination. Whatever the Fuhrer wanted with Al, he wasn’t going to like it. “I have a lunch break now, would you be so kind as to join me for it?” </p><p>Begrudgingly, Al agrees. It’s not like he could say no to the Fuhrer of the country they were trying to negotiate with, after all, and his errand can sort of wait. Mustang pulls him into a near empty café near headquarters. The waitresses there greet the Fuhrer by name, and Mustang in turn asks them about their lives. How’s Jack doing? Is your wife and the baby alright? They sit down at a table near the back, and Mustang gets his regular, and Al gets whatever the waiter recommends. As the waiter turns to leave, Mustang’s focus returns to Al. </p><p>“I’ll get to the point, Alphonse. I want to marry your brother.” </p><p>Al takes a good look at the man before him. Dark shadows lay below his eyes, and slight wrinkles have formed on his forehead and near his brows. While Mustang is undoubtedly attractive, he also looked haunted, and tired beyond belief. Being the youngest Fuhrer shows. </p><p>Then Al is looking at Mustang’s eyes, and he sees the determination behind them, sees the care that he holds for his brother. It can’t be love yet, it’s far too soon for that, but it’s fiery and passionate. </p><p>Al realizes that he has to make a decision. He could refuse to accept the reality that he is faced with, refuse to give his brother away. Or, he could swallow his fear and uncertainty, and wish his brother the best in his next chapter of life. </p><p>There isn’t a decision to be made. Al knows that he only has one choice. </p><p>“I give you my blessing, Roy.” Al finds himself smiling, despite himself. The look on Roy’s face is one of relief, as if gaining Al’s approval was the most important thing he had to do that day. “But just know, that if you ever hurt my brother, you’ll be answering to me. And I’m not as nice as I look.” </p><p>Roy has the audacity to laugh at that, and Al realizes that he kind of likes Roy Mustang, that he’s not really what Al has made him out to be. Al feels like this was a man that he could trust his brother with.</p><p>“I’ll keep that in mind, Alphonse.” Roy extends his hand across the table, a determined smile on his face. </p><p>“Just Al is fine, really.” Al accepts the handshake, a symbol of the vow he’s accepted, of the oath that Roy will enter. Al, for the first time this trip, thinks that everything will work out OK. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The first time that Al sees Roy Mustang cry, it’s at his wedding. After Roy had accepted the proposal (which he had done, rather dramatically, by getting down on one knee in front of all of the Amestrian and Xingese delegates at one of the banquets), the wedding was arranged in a hurry, in consideration of the schedule for the Xingese group returning to their country in a week. Despite the rush, the wedding still managed to be lavish and extravagant, containing both Xingese and Amestrian elements – a symbol of the unity of the two countries. Ed had, unsurprisingly, chosen Al to be his best man, which gave Al a front row seat to the absolute vulnerability on Roy’s face when he unveiled the red cloth from Ed’s face. Roy looked like he couldn’t believe that this was happening to him, that it was all too good to be true. </p><p>It’s when they’re exchanging gold bands that Al sees the single tear that slides down the Fuhrer’s face, and it’s when Al sees his brother hurry to wipe it away that Al realizes that this is where his brother belongs.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some elaborations I want to make on the mentions of Chinese culture:</p><p>Sons of Heaven – in Chinese culture, royalty are believed to have the blessing of God and are basically directly related to the Heavens.</p><p>影子 literally just means shadow in Chinese (lol) </p><p>In ancient Chinese culture, the bride of the ceremony is not allowed to show her face to her groom until the ceremony, hence why they wear a veil over their face. Red is auspicious in Chinese culture, hence why the veil Ed wears is red, and I'd like to think that Ed wears all red during the ceremony in tangent with his culture. </p><p>And here's the information on the prompt that I had:<br/>Position name: Lior<br/>Property name:The Altar<br/>Prompt: Write about a marriage proposal. Word count: 647-1184<br/>House level: Write from the POV of a character which is neither Ed nor Roy. Word count: 1342-2825</p><p>I hope you enjoyed this fic! It was hard to write but also worth it :) Feel free to bug me on tumblr at ultramarineicecream.tumblr.com</p></blockquote></div></div>
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